Under the theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' the Kolkata Centre for Creativity’s inaugural annual conference explores universality of creative thought

Whether it is Winter is Over, a woodcut print on paper by Soghra Khurasani, or Efflorescence, a mixed media work by Iftikhar Dadi & Elizabeth Dadi; or even a unique creation by South Korean artist, Do-Ho Suh, made with polyester fabric on stainless steel pipes — each of these works draws on the artist’s relationship with the environment. Currently on display at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity, as part of an exhibition curated by architect Pinakin Patel, these works offer an insight into the creative spirit and freedom vested within all human beings to choose, respond to and change things. By showcasing contemporary art from across the world, Patel tries to highlight the underlying unity in our diversity.

Universality of Creative Thought

It is this universality of creative thought that runs like a thread through the show, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World Is One Family), and its accompanying symposium as well. This first edition of the annual conference, programmed by curator Shwetal A. Patel, is in sync with the overall ethos of the Kolkata Centre for Creativity, which seeks to be a platform for multi-disciplinary interactive art, expression and collaboration.

“Art knows no boundaries or language. By showcasing art from different countries and by inviting speakers from across disciplines, we wish to highlight that we are all part of the same world,” says Richa Agarwal, executive director of the Centre. She cites the example of a Vogue India project, The Travelling Jacket, which saw a garment being sent out to designers across the Asia—India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka—with each adding his or her design to that one piece of cloth.

Cultural Appropriation

“This emphasises the universality of art and design,” says Agarwal. One will find Tewari, along with scenographer Swarup Dutta, build on this idea and talk about how consumers, designers and manufacturers within the fashion industry can guard against cultural appropriation, and place people over products. According to Shwetal Patel, the idea of universality is age-old and rooted in philosophical systems around the world. “The silos that we have created are nothing but a sleight of hand of art history to look at things in a linear manner. We have invited a range of voices, which are seemingly out of this ‘art theory’ system to have a dialogue about the bigger questions,” he says.

The Idea of Internationalism

There are interesting performances and conversations planned with Mukhtiyar Ali, who hails from the Mirasi community and performs the Sufiana kalaam and Bhakti songs from the village of Pugal, Rajasthan. Then, there is a session with gallerists such as Hena Kapadia of Tarq and Prateek Raja of Experimenter about how galleries can add to a holistic ecosystem that benefits artists and audiences alike. One will also see Dr Rory Hyde of the Victoria & Albert Museum, James Green from David Zwirner and Mark Rappolt of ArtReview talk about what it means to be ‘international’ in the context of art today.

An important question — about preservation of cultural heritage in a non-fossilised manner — forms the crux of the session helmed by leading conservators, architects and archivists such as Parul Zaveri, Sneha Ragavan of Asia Art Archive and Anupam Sah from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. With this being the inaugural edition of the annual conference, Agarwal is going with the flow. She hopes that the learnings from the same will culminate into some sort of programming in the future. “Ideally, we would want the conference to produce a body of knowledge, to generate thought leadership,” says Patel.